


Sleep until the dawn wakes you

by Widow_Spyder



Series: Whumptober 2019 (Anime) [11]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Insomnia, Ironically, M/M, Prompt #26, Sleep, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 22:15:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21186851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widow_Spyder/pseuds/Widow_Spyder
Summary: Gen sighed and reluctantly laid back down. “I guess so.” He said, fully accepting Senku’s presence.That was too fast.Senku thought.How long has he been up?





	Sleep until the dawn wakes you

As much as Gen hated to admit it, there were times when even he would get into _slumps._ Slumps that would make his brain and body slow down until he was a puddle of uselessness. Sometimes they lasted a day; other times, they lasted for weeks. It all depended on the situation he was in. During these slumps, the hardest part was getting sleep. He’d either have extreme insomnia or constantly have nightmares based on memories he’d rather not remember. It was random, sporadic, and _annoying._

The fact that he was stuck in the world 3,700 years ahead in time wasn’t helping his case. Before the petrification, if he got into a slump, he could take sleep aids for insomnia, or shovel ice cream down his throat after the nightmares. He’d watch movies alone in his room with all the lights on to keep the darkness away while buried in a blanket cave he’d create. There, he was safe. 

Now almost 4,000 years into the future, he had _nothing._

—————————

Gen knew before the night even started that it was going to be hell. The villagers were having a festival to celebrate some holiday they heard about in the hundred tales. Gen honestly hadn’t listened that much to the explanation before excusing himself to Chrome’s hut.

He felt boneless as he trudged up the ladder, every step feeling like bitter agony. _God, he was so tired._ The nightmares had plagued him first, and in order to avoid them, he stayed awake, diligently feigning off sleep as if it were a plague. Now almost three days with no sleep, Gen had had enough. He _needed_ some rest. So, of course, insomnia decided to hit him _now_ of all times. Gen mentally cursed. The sun had set already, and if the banging drums and loud laughter were anything to go by, then the festival had started. 

Gen groaned as he rolled over _again_. He was comfy in the blankets and pillows he had gathered, it was dark enough, and he even had the distant sounds to lull him to sleep. _What was wrong? Why couldn’t he just sleep?_

It brought him back to his memories — Times where he was alone in his apartment feeling all of 12 years old again. Volume on the Tv as high as possible and squashed so far into his blankets and pillows, he was on the verge of suffocation. It was almost like the petrification. Time and his body didn’t feel like moving. 

He was stuck in darkness until he eventually fell unconscious. The feeling was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. Like the world had suddenly decided to abandon him and the rest of humanity. 

He didn’t even hear the door being pushed open until a voice from behind had him jumping into the ceiling. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to bed already?” Senku exclaimed. 

Despite not having clocks, it was pretty easy to tell the time based on the sun. It was only around 7:30 pm, and Gen was already tucked up in bed. Two parts of the three-layer kimono he always wore were neatly folded on the ground near him, and the candles were all blown out. 

Gen was already sitting up and looking at him, surprised that he was there. Senku honestly didn’t know why he was there either. Something just felt _off_ to him. It looked like he was right to be worried too. This wasn’t usual Gen behavior at all. 

Senku stepped forward slowly. “Oi, you feeling okay?” 

“Of course, Senku-chan ~ After all the work you put us through? I’m beat.” Gen nervously chuckled. 

Senku scrunched his eyes in a look that he often made when he was unimpressed with something. Gen brightly smiled in return — or at least he tried to. It must’ve not been very convincing because Senku’s expression never changed. 

Gen started to panic a little. “I’m really alright, you know. There’s no need to worry.” 

But Senku could see it. The way his hands clutched so hard at the blanket that they shook from the exertion. The way his face was screwed up in a smile that you could tell ten billion percent was fake; the way the bags under his eyes just looked so heavy. You could practically hear the exhaustion dripping from his voice too. Senku sighed and walked over, sitting down next to Gen and opening a notepad. 

Gen looked at him strangely. “What - what are you doing, Senku-chan.” 

“Huh? Can I not keep you company?” Senku asked. He didn’t feel like arguing with the mentalist, and it didn’t look like Gen had the energy either, so he made a small excuse for reasoning. “The festivals too lively tonight anyway.”

Gen sighed and reluctantly laid back down. “I guess so.” He said, fully accepting Senku’s presence. _That was too fast._ Senku thought. _How long has he been up?_ He’d have to wait till morning to ask that question.

x-x-x

Almost an hour had passed, and Gen still wasn’t asleep. His eyes were half-closed and dazed as if he was on the brink of unconscious yet couldn’t reach the endpoint. Senku had started humming a song under his breath as he worked on random equations in hopes it would help, but it didn’t look like it was working. _This isn’t good._ Senku thought. Gen looked _exhausted._

There was a decision to made here, and one more glance at Gen’s dazed state had him making his choice. Senku put down his notepad and lifted the blankets Gen was in. He then shuffled underneath next to Gen, who had woken up slightly from the movement. 

Once Senku was settled, Gen cleared his throat. “Thought you were writing?”

“Gonna rest my eyes a bit.” Senku shrugged. “Is that alright?”

“Yeah, no complaints from me.” Gen mumbled. 

Senku hummed in response. The air smelled faintly of flowers, and Senku couldn’t help but wonder if Gen had stashed some, somewhere in the hut.

They both faced each other on their sides and ended up in a strange staring contest. Gen’s eyes would flutter at random as if he were finally going to sleep, but then nothing else would happen. His eyes would be closed, but his breathing wouldn’t be even. Eventually, Gen would just open his eyes again as the rest never came. Senku felt a bit sorry for him. He knew insomnia well.

“Do you always get like this?” Senku found himself breaking the silence first. 

Gen’s eyes opened again before he mumbled out a small. “Not a lot, no.” He shifted, and Senku moved with him. “Just happens sometimes.”

“You know we do have the ingredients to make a sleep serum.” Senku said. There was an idea popping in his head. “It can be the next side project.”

“No it’s okay, Senku-chan ~” Gen waved him off as best he could in his state. Now Senku only needed one more sentence to make his plan work. “I imagine it’s pretty hard to make anyway.” _Bingo!_

“Actually, it’s pretty easy.” Senku said before going through an entire essay explanation of how sleep aids are made and how they can replicate it. By the time he was halfway through, he had noticed Gen’s eyelids begin to droop. He smirked and continued the explanation, even adding in some random facts to make it longer. By the time he was done, Gen had fallen straight to sleep. 

Small puffs of air were blowing from his mouth in time with his breathing, and his face was relaxed. Senku smiled and sat up. Science explanations were hard to sit through when you have no idea what’s being explained, and Senku took that advantage to tire Gen’s brain out so he could sleep. And it worked perfectly.

Senku unwound himself from the blankets and adjusted them, making Gen huff in his sleep and turn to face the wall. His hair was all over the place and would definitely have knots in the morning, but that was tomorrow’s problem to solve. He made a quick mental note to tell Chrome to be quiet in the morning to let Gen sleep in. He looked like he desperately needed it anyway. 

Senku sighed and gently patted Gen’s head. 

“Sleep well, mentalist.”

**Author's Note:**

> Another Prompt DOWN! It's short this time but still fluffy I hope. THIS IS BASED ON A FAN COMIC PANEL that I saw a while back and for the life of me I can not find it anymore. I checked my twitter, tumblr, pinterest, pixiv, even instagram! I can not find it anymore. It was a short comic in either Japanese or Chinese so I had no idea what it said but from the (amazing) art, you could see that Senku had entered a hut, found Gen who was sitting up in bed looking like he was brushing Senku off about some worries only for Senku to see his hand shaking on the blankets. He then sits next to him and Gen is surprised before accepting it and going to sleep. The last few panels are my favorite because Gen did fall asleep and Senku is having a fluffy moment watching him. 
> 
> If anyone can find this comic again and send it to me, I'd be eternally grateful. 
> 
> Want fic updates? I have a tumblr! @/ Widow-Spyder
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one and thank you for reading it this far!


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